Obsession

Brian dePalma really accomplished quite a feat by paying homage to Hitchcock with a strong variation on VERTIGO's theme--a man who loses the woman he loves sees her reincarnated in another woman and then loses her too.

He takes this premise and does some fancy camera-work that swirls around the lovers with an intensity only matched by the whirling colors of Bernard Herrmann's magical score. He sets up the tale by having a convincing kidnapping take place in which his wife and daughter are taken by the criminals and has him mourning their loss until he encounters another woman in Italy, years later, who strongly resembles his presumably dead wife.

The rest of the plot must remain undisclosed for "spoiler" purposes, but I'm sure there are those who will at least have a suspicion as to the real purpose of all the foregoing events.

CLIFF ROBERTSON has the difficult chore of appearing downtrodden and depressed most of the time, so GENEVIEVE BUJOLD has the task of brightening up the tale with her unconventional good looks and upbeat manner. JOHN LITHGOW makes his screen debut as Robertson's close friend and business acquaintance.

If it's a stylish dePalma movie you're in the mood for, this one will fill the bill nicely. And that Bernard Herrmann score alone makes watching the movie completely worthwhile. It's dazzling.

It's 1959 New Orleans. Elizabeth Courtland (Geneviève Bujold) and daughter Amy are kidnapped for ransom. Michael Courtland (Cliff Robertson) sells to his business partner Robert Lasalle (John Lithgow) to raise the money. Following police advise, he gives the kidnappers fake money and the deal goes badly. Elizabeth and Amy are presumed dead after going off a bridge. Michael builds a tomb for them and refuses to develop the valuable land surrounding it. It's 1975. He and Robert go to Italy for business where he falls for Elizabeth lookalike Sandra Portinari (Geneviève Bujold).

The fake money ended any hopes for greatness. It's an annoying little detail but the movie can still be good. At the very least, the police would use counterfeit money which can be tracked. The kidnappers are probably going to open the suitcase as soon as they get into the van. It's a stupid little detail which I have to ignore. The other problem is that the villain is obvious from the start and the reason for the whole thing can be logically deduced as soon as the premise is revealed after thirty minutes. There is also a final twist that seems obvious as a possibility. It's not quite so well conceived either. I don't really buy the flashbacks and Sandra's progression. Maybe if she was brutalized, she could become submissive to the plan. This is a twisted mystery from director Brian De Palma but it's not as mysterious as it should be.

I revisited "Obsession" recently because I've always been a fan of the late, great Bernard Herrmann. In the late 1970's, I bought the "Obsession" soundtrack on LP because, as one critic so aptly wrote, "Herrmann's score would make even blank film compelling." As for what happens on the celluloid, it's obvious that this movie was a lower-budgeted rush job (example: mid-70's automobiles in scenes of 1959 New Orleans). It's also quite a feat to make Florence look so drab and gray, while the middle third of the film bogs down tremendously. And the excessive use of filters by Vilmos Zsigmond makes the film look less ethereal than out-of-focus.

In my opinion, the only other positive for the film is Genevieve Bujold's performance. It stands in marked contrast to the one given by Cliff Robertson, who is leaden throughout and provides no shades or nuances of a conflicted man. And a young John Lithgow fares no better, with his outrageously syrupy Southern accent.

Five stars out of ten. For Benny and Genevieve.

It's pretty amazing how a guy with a Hitchcock fetish, an appetite for visual experimentation and an ever so slightly perverted mind can have made such uniquely compelling films.

While Brian De Palma has never exactly been shy about his influences as a filmmaker, this has to be his work that most overtly and specifically references that of Alfred Hitchcock. For where the impact that 'the Master of Suspense' had on De Palma is evident throughout his filmography in terms of stylistic choices and recurring themes, 'Obsession' (which might as well refer to De Palma's relation with Hitchcock, maybe even 'Vertigo' in particular) borrows heavily from the master on a narrative level as well. It is even said that Hitchcock was furious when De Palma decided to make this film, as he thought it was virtually a remake of 'Vertigo'. While 'Obsession' cannot be called a remake of that seminal Hitchcock film in any literal sense, the many parallels between the two films are undeniable and, in the documentary 'De Palma', the director unabashedly acknowledges that he and 'Obsession' co-writer Paul Schrader came up with the idea for their film after revisiting 'Vertigo'.

Both in terms of its story and its central themes of identity, loss, love and yes, obsession, 'Obsession' is basically 'Vertigo' with some shades of 'Rebecca' sprinkled in during the latter part of the film, culminating in a lurid finale with a perverted, Freudian twist that could only have sprung from the warped mind of De Palma (although Park Chan-Wook has come up with one or two of those throughout his career). Still, despite its apparent lack of originality (in terms of its content at least), the film managed to grab my attention from the start and kept me captivated all the way through to that twist ending, which is mostly a credit to the stylistic prowess of De Palma and the haunting score by frequent Hitchcock collaborator Bernard Herrmann (who did the score for Vertigo as well). With his inventive camera movements (the camera seems to be endlessly circling at times, which has an almost hypnotizing effect on the viewer) and often jarring camera angles, De Palma keeps things visually interesting. These creative elements, combined with the great use of atmospheric shooting locations New Orleans and Florence, create a dreamlike, melancholy atmosphere, which is further amplified by the movie's lighting.

After having started a bit of a deeper dive into his filmography, there is no denying the gifted director that Brian De Palma is stylistically, and it makes for films that are never less than interesting. Even though he wears his cinematic influences on his sleeve for all to see (in addition to multiple Hitchcock films, 'Obsession' also seems to draw inspiration from Nicolas Roeg's 'Don't Look Now' and Giallo horror), De Palma is talented enough as a filmmaker that he can skillfully weave these different influences together and still create something new and original. Because of his singularly playful visual style, De Palma's films always end up having their own distinct personality, despite their often-obvious reference points. After having been through Hi, Mom!, Carrie and Obsession over these last few weeks, coming up next up in my Brian De Palma 'oeuvreview' will be a rewatch of Blow Out. And I guess I'll have to give Vertigo another look now as well.

A rich businessman (Clift Robertson) meets an enigmatic young girl ( Genevieve Bujold) in Florencia . She is the dead ringer image of his late spouse who was murdered by kidnappers during a car accident at a backfired rescue . It leads to a mesmerizing cycle of traps and lies.

A classic in suspense from De Palma , pitching us right into the action from the beginning and baffling most of us to the ending. There is much for De Palma buffs to savour in this thrilling and atmospheric handling of a complex story with deliberately old-fashioned treatment . Robertson is assured as ever as the obsessed millionaire battling against his obsessions and Bujold in a difficult double role as the girls who looks exactly like the wife, she strangely adds depth to her acting. There are tense key images that that are brilliantly staged. This romantic flick is plenty of mystery, intrigue, and suspenseful. Adding special characteristics techniques as ominous camera movements .

Brian De Palma's homage to Hitchcock and the amusement turn out to be inquire what scenes taken from suspense Master. For that reason takes parts especially from ¨Vertigo¨. All this said, the mechanics of suspense are worked quite well and may frighten the easily scared quite badly, but De Palma has made a habit of dwelling on their more sordid side-shoots. The film displays a great and haunting musical score by Bernard Herrmann, Hitchock's favorite composer and imitating his former hits. Furthermore appropriate cinematography by cameraman Vilmos Zsigmond, though is urgent a necessary remastering because of the colors are faded. The picture is brilliantly directed by Brian De Palma. This one along with ¨ Sisters,Dresssed to Kill, Blow out¨ are outwardly another ode to Hitchcock, but the Master might well shift uneasily in his grave at the long-drawn-out tension, the flash scenes and the shock effects with the accent on gas-provoking , but on most occasion is thrilling. Rating : Above average but gets some riveting basic ideas and fascinating images.